Dust: A Kuroshitsuji fan-fiction ((Chapter 1))
by The Wandering Khan
Summary: The Phantomhive Manor receives a strange visitor on a dark and stormy night, and he's more than he seems...


Dust

A Kuroshitsuji Fan Fiction

Rain…thunder…and lightning. That's what the weather was currently at the Phantomhive Manor. The drops from the torrential downpour thudded on the windows and slid down like transparent snakes, the lightning illuminating the windows with bright flashes as if flashbangs went off in the sky. That didn't stop Ciel Phantomhive rom walking through the corridors, cane in hand. He ignored the loud noises, his eye fixated on staring straight ahead. Along with him walked his demon butler Sebastian, towel over his forearm. Casting his eyes briefly over the window, a flash of lightning illuminated them, and he waited for the clap of thunder to sound before speaking to his master. "Quite the storm we have outside tonight, isn't it master?" he asked to break the silence. Ciel merely nodded as he walked on. "What will be for dinner tonight, Sebastian?" He asked impassively. The demon cleared his throat before speaking. "Tonight's dish is a-" He was then cut off by a noise. Not a clap of thunder or one of Bard's explosions, but rather…a knock at the door. Rather, three loud knocks that sounded like hammer blows on an anvil, but the door didn't give way. "See who that is, Sebastian." Ciel ordered, not breaking his stride. Sebastian bowed briefly with a small smile. "Right away, sir." He said as he walked down the staircase, but briefly wondered to himself, _"Who in their right mind would be visiting at this hour?"_. As he approached the door, he heard the sound of crashing in the kitchen, and he briefly sighed to himself. No doubt Mey-Rin and the others bumbling about in the kitchen, to which Sebastian sighed briefly. "So much to do, so little time…" He said to himself in small amusement as he opened the door. He expected it to be a prank by human children, a psychotic Grell Sutcliffe, or even a small contingent of policemen, but what he saw standing at the steps, he would never have thought of.

Standing at the door, dripping with the rain, was a young man who looked to be in his early twenties, around Sebastian's own height, and possessed interesting features. He had what looked to be a blend of Caucasian and Native American skin that was tanned by years in the sun and covered with scars from struggles and combat, as if he did battle with the elements all his life. His eyes were a deep green, looking like emeralds as Sebastian's own were like rubies. His black hair was thick and shaggy, but it looked like it was cut in a hurry, and not trimmed by a barber. However, his clothes suited him properly, as weather-beaten as the man himself was. He wore a black sleeveless leather duster that reached down to his calves, faded black field trousers that contained dust, black leather boots that looked worn but useable, a rawhide belt, a faded brown vest that sat over an even more faded white button down shirt with its sleeves rolled up to his elbows, a pair of brown leather gloves, a gauntlet that was tied to his right forearm with straps, a bandoleer that went over his chest containing several pouches, and a black American Cowboy hat with one of the sides pinned up. Sebastian noticed the man was armed, as he had a peculiar looking revolver, three throwing knives in the bandoleer, and a large Bowie Knife that rested on his left hip. Sebastian narrowed his eyes, but he sensed that the man had no harmful intentions planned for them. The man smiled a little as Sebastian looked him up and down, and when he spoke, his voice had a Western twinge to it, sounding youthful but grizzled. "Excuse me sir, I hate ta be a bother, but could ya spare a small meal and a spot o' shelter outta this rain?" He asked politely. Sebastian looked the man up and down, and his final judgment said the man was of no danger. "Do come in, sir." Sebastian said politely as he let the man inside. The frontiersman gladly took the invitation and stepped inside out of the rain, grateful to be out of the storm.

"Thanks for letting me out of the storm, mister. I appreciate it." The man said as he dusted off his duster and took off his hat, squeezing the water out of it, and he looked around. "This is a nice place." He said as he took off his duster, and Sebastian then noticed the vest was actually gray, and it was the sheer amount of dust that made it look brown. However, Sebastian ignored it and smiled* "No sense in letting you stand out in the rain, sir." He replied as he took the man's duster from him, and walked over to the door. With a graceful yet powerful flick of his hands, he flapped the duster, causing all of the dust and rain that had dirtied the coat to fly out of the door, returning the duster to its dry state. The man's eyes widened a bit. "That's some strength you got there…" he said with some respect. "Think nothing of it. Welcome to Phantomhive Manor, sir." Sebastian said formally. The man's eyebrow raised at that. "Phantom-who?" he asked in some confusion. Sebastian's own eyebrow raised at that. "Phantomhive. Surely you've heard the name before, along with my master, Ciel Phantomhive?" the butler asked as he closed the front door. The man shook his head. "Can't say I have. I don't really keep up with urban business." He said softly. Sebastian nodded, and then took the man's hat as well. "What is your name, sir?" he asked. "My real name's hard to pronounce, but most people just call me Marshall. What's yours?" he replied. The demon smiled and inclined his head a little. "I am Sebastian Michealis, butler to Earl Ciel Phantomhive." He stated properly. Marshall nodded his head, and rocked his shoulders a bit. "Listen here…I hate ta be a bother, but…don't suppose your Earl can spare me some food? I can't remember the last time I had a decent bite to eat." He asked humbly. As if to add to his point, Marshall's stomach growled loudly, and he smiled awkwardly. To his relief, Sebastian nodded. "The young master was about to dine, actually. However, I must notify him that he has a guest. Wait here, Mr. Marshall." He said as he turned, walking up the staircase. Marshall sat down on a nearby bench, patiently waiting for the butler to come back.

Upstairs, he found Ciel's room and knocked at the door. "Master? We have a visitor here." He announced. "Who is it?" Came the reply. "A man who calls himself Marshall. He looks to be some sort of American Frontiersman." Sebastian told him. "What does he want?" Ciel asked as he opened the door. "He simply asked if we could provide him some shelter and some food." Came the reply. Ciel raised his eyebrow. "What business would an American like that have in England?" he asked his butler. Sebastian shrugged at that. "Trapping foxes, perhaps? It was interesting to note that he has…well…he's never heard of you. At all." He added. Ciel then thought over for a few minutes, and he nodded. "Alright, tell him he can dine with me…" The boy then wrinkled his nose as the smell of rain and wet dirt flowed upstairs. "And please, for the love of God have him bathed and washed…" he said behind a wrinkled nose. "Yes, my lord." Sebastian replied as he turned to the stairs, smirking a little as he heard Ciel close the door and let out a coughing fit of disgust. Sebastian then walked down the stairwell, approaching Marshall. He then realized Ciel didn't have a weak sense of smell, and he held the towel to his nose. "The young master says you may dine with him tonight. AFTER you bathe." He addressed Marshall. The frontiersman grinned a little as he stood up, approaching the butler. "Dinner AND a bath. I like this place already." He said with a relieved tone. "Yes…pardon me Mr. Marshall but…when was the last time you bathed?" he asked him, voice muffled behind the towel. Marshall thought for a minute, then he shrugged. "I think…uh…the last time I had anything close to a bath was that rain…then there was falling in that stream about a month ago…" he said in a nostalgic tone.

However, Sebastian briefly gagged a little and ushered Marshall up the stairs. "Please follow me, sir." He said, keeping a comfortable distance away from the smelling man. The frontiersman looked confused, then lifted up his arm and sniffed the pit. "What?" he asked as he lowered his arm and followed Sebastian. Soon, they reached a guest bathroom, with a mirror, sink, a marble bathtub, and a bidet as well. The place was white as it could be, reminding Marshall of the White House in Washington D.C., but it had an English touch to it. "Wow…" was all he could say, then Sebastian cleared his throat. "Leave your clothes outside here and I will have the staff was it while you bathe." He said, stepping out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Soon, Marshall was alone, and he shrugged. He then removed his clothes, taking off his vest, unbuttoning his shirt and pulling his gloves off, exposing his bare upper body. It was built like a warrior's, but not with too much muscle, so it seemed physically pleasing. At least, that's more or less what one of the whores at a Dodge City saloon told him. It should be noted that it had many scars on it, ranging from gunshots to arrows, claw and bite marks, and several other cuts and slashes. He smirked a little as he traced some of them with his finger, relishing in some of the memories he had from them. Whether it was from war, hunting, or settling old debts… "Mr. Marshall, are you quite alright in there?" Sebastian's voice interrupted. Marshall snapped out of his trance and smiled. "Yeah, I'm good to go!" he replied as he resumed taking off his clothes. Once he was naked, he piled his clothes into a bundle and set them outside the door for Sebastian to take. Once the butler had carried them off, Marshall turned on the water and waited for it to fill and heat up. He smirked a little as he saw his pistol belt, throwing knives and Bowie still on the counter. He was surprised that Sebastian didn't relieve him of his weapons, but that was past now. Marshall briefly thought back to a moment when he was in Carson City, waking up from a night with a whore and several bandits tried to kill him. It would have gone smoothly if he didn't have his pistol nearby his bed, and from that day on, he's always kept his weapons close at hand. "Never forget…" he whispered to himself. Once the water was warm, he lowered himself inside, sighing out a little in pleasure as the warmth seeped into his muscles. He settled himself inside, and he noticed a scrubbing brush and soap. He might as well clean himself, so he took the brush and bar of soap and began to scrub his body with the cleansing material, humming a little as he did. Once he was finished, he looked at the brush and almost laughed as he saw the bristles were completely black. "Damn, that's blacker than a Negro…" he said to himself as he set it aside. As he did, he also saw a mirror and what appeared to be shaving cream and a razor. He reached for the cream and mirror but ignored the razor. He had a more…different method. As he set the items down, he reached over and grabbed his large knife, setting it down next to him. He covered his face with the cream, and let out a small Santa-Claus like laugh as he looked at himself in the mirror. Out came the knife from its sheath, and then he began to shave the small stubble that had accumulated on his cheeks and chin. The blade glided along smoothly, but Marshall was careful not to cut himself while he shaved. Too many scratches have taught him not to. As he shaved, he began to think about some of the things Phantomhive Manor had, and he sighed a little. This was too much wealth and luxury for his taste. True, he didn't mind being treated like a prince once in a blue moon, but to have this every day…it would eat at a man's character. He imagined this Ciel Phantomhive to be some spoiled brat who had no manners, and only his butler to raise him. "Greed…" Marshall spat as he finished shaving, his face bare of any stubble. Once he was done, he stood up and stepped out of the bath, grabbing a nearby towel on the rack, drying himself off. As he did, he rang the nearby servant bell, letting the staff know he was done.

A few minutes later, Mey-Rin came to the door and opened it a tad bit. "Your clothes are washed and ready, sir!" she said kindly. Marshall nodded, and when he finished drying he grabbed a robe from a wall, and wrapped himself in it. "Thanks, miss." He said as he stepped outside. He noticed the young woman in her maid uniform and ridiculously large glasses, but kept his opinion to himself. "Please follow me, sir!" She said as she walked down the hall, but not before Marshall grabbed his weapons and concealed them in his robe. As they walked, she turned to face the frontiersman with a degree of interest. "So…Sebastian says you'll be dining with the young master, Mr. Marshall." She said. "Yep. Your master's got a bit of kindness in 'im, miss…?" he said, asking her name. She blushed a little at the form of address, and smiled. "Oh, please call me Mey-Rin." She told him. "Suit yourself, Mey." He replied as they reached a room that looked like a guest bedroom. "Sebastian will come get you once you're finished changing, sir." She said as she exited the room, and left Marshall alone. The frontiersman raised an eyebrow at the setting, but shrugged. "Guess I'm stayin' the night." He said as he put on his clothes, hanging the duster and hat on a hook. Once he was one though, no sooner did he step outside that Sebastian was standing right in front of him, a lit candlestick in his hand. "The young master is waiting for you in the dining hall, if you would please follow me." He said as he walked down the hall. Marshall followed, checking he had his gun and knives, and he approached the butler with a question. "Just outta curiosity…how come ya didn't disarm me? Ain't that supposed to be protocol?" he asked. Sebastian smiled a little as he stared straight ahead. "I understand your concern, and I'm glad you noticed. However, even if you had the intention to harm my master, you wouldn't even have a chance to do so." He said casually. "What makes you say that?" Marshall asked, not in a hostile but curious tone. Sebastian stopped walking and looked right at Marshall square in the eye. "I'm simply a hell of a butler." He stated, resuming his stride. Marshall followed, noting the flash of red Sebastian's eyes had. He began to doubt if this butler was even human…but he shrugged it off, and continued along.


End file.
